#hardcover #fiction #basketball #juvenile #sports

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

California

Four players at the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tournament struggle with the pressures of tournament play and the expectations of society at large.

The Final Four

4b309023-fc5d-497f-a14b-e45093664269-1

#fiction #juvenilefiction #ya #youngadult #hardcover #sports #basketball 

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Kansas

High school sophomore Liam jeopardizes his new position on the varsity basketball team when he decides to take a stand against his coach who is leading prayers before games and enforcing teamwide participation.

Box Out

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#basketball #olympics #olympicsbasketball #hitler #berlin #athletes #1936 #jamesnaismith #remainderedbook #hardcover 

Ohio

The True Story of the First U. S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany

*"Rivaling the nonfiction works of Steve Sheinkin and Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat....Even readers who don't appreciate sports will find this story a page-turner." --School Library Connection, starred review

*"A must for all library collections." --Booklist, starred review

Winner of the 2020 AJL Sydney Taylor Honor!  

From the New York Times bestselling author of Strong Inside comes the remarkable true story of the birth of Olympic basketball at the 1936 Summer Games in Hitler's Germany. Perfect for fans of The Boys in the Boat and Unbroken.

On a scorching hot day in July 1936, thousands of people cheered as the U.S. Olympic teams boarded the S.S. Manhattan, bound for Berlin. Among the athletes were the 14 players representing the first-ever U.S. Olympic basketball team. As thousands of supporters waved American flags on the docks, it was easy to miss the one courageous man holding a BOYCOTT NAZI GERMANY sign. But it was too late for a boycott now; the ship had already left the harbor.

1936 was a turbulent time in world history. Adolf Hitler had gained power in Germany three years earlier. Jewish people and political opponents of the Nazis were the targets of vicious mistreatment, yet were unaware of the horrors that awaited them in the coming years. But the Olympians on board the S.S. Manhattan and other international visitors wouldn't see any signs of trouble in Berlin. Streets were swept, storefronts were painted, and every German citizen greeted them with a smile. Like a movie set, it was all just a facade, meant to distract from the terrible things happening behind the scenes.

This is the incredible true story of basketball, from its invention by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891, to the sport's Olympic debut in Berlin and the eclectic mix of people, events and propaganda on both sides of the Atlantic that made it all possible. Includes photos throughout, a Who's-Who of the 1936 Olympics, bibliography, and index.

Praise for Games of Deception:

A 2020 ALA Notable Children's Book!
A 2020 CBC Notable Social Studies Book!

"Maraniss does a great job of blending basketball action with the horror of Hitler's Berlin to bring this fascinating, frightening, you-can't-make-this-stuff-up moment in history to life." -Steve Sheinkin, New York Times bestselling author of Bomb and Undefeated

"I was blown away by Games of Deception....It's a fascinating, fast-paced, well-reasoned, and well-written account of the hidden-in-plain-sight horrors and atrocities that underpinned sports, politics, and propaganda in the United States and Germany. This is an important read." -Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Newbery Honor winning author of Hitler Youth

"A richly reported and stylishly told reminder how, when you scratch at a sports story, the real world often lurks just beneath." --Alexander Wolff, New York Times bestselling author of The Audacity of Hoop: Basketball and the Age of Obama

"An insightful, gripping account of basketball and bias." --Kirkus Reviews

"An exciting and overlooked slice of history." --School Library Journal


Games of Deception

41baf10e-cd51-4b87-9611-d512170ae978-1

#hardcover #nba #basketball #sports #covid 

Oregon

Inside the NBA's Fight to Save a Season

A captivating account of the NBA's strangest season ever, from shutdown to championship, from a prominent national basketball writer living inside the bubble

When NBA player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, the league shut down immediately, bringing a shocking, sudden pause to the season. As the pandemic raged, it looked like it might be the first year in league history with no champion. But four months later, after meticulous planning, play resumed in a "bubble" at Disney World-a restricted, single-site locale, where teams could only bring limited staff and the outside world was largely cut off.

Due to health concerns, the league invited only a handful of reporters to the show. Everyone who attended would need to sacrifice medical privacy, live in a simple hotel room for months on end, and submit to daily coronavirus testing in hopes of keeping the Bubble from bursting. Ben Golliver, the national NBA writer for the Washington Post, is one of them. Bubbleball is his account of the season and life inside, telling the story of how basketball shut down and how superstars like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kawhi Leonard battled for the throne once play resumed in unconventional circumstances and empty gyms. Based on months of reporting in the exclusive, restricted environment, this is an entertaining record of an extraordinary season.

Bubbleball

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#hardcover #basketball #coach #inspiration #cvivianstringer #scarletknights #rutgersuniversity

Minnesota

A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph

“Lots of people have dreams, but C. Vivian Stringer is the dream—a coalminer’s daughter who believed when her Poppa told her there was no obstacle she could not surmount. And she lives that dream, teaching others to rise up to meet challenges, turning underdogs into champions again and again—on and off the court. This is the quintessential American story, of a woman and of a family pulling together against the odds.Standing Talloffers an important message of hope to so many.” —John Chaney, Hall of Fame college basketball coach At a time when heroes are too rare, C. Vivian Stringer sets a shining example. She has time and again shown character, fortitude, and heart, both on and off the hardwood, and in the face of unbearable loss. InStanding Tall, she shares her remarkable life story, inspiring us to find this fortitude within ourselves. “Work hard, and don’t look for excuses,” Stringer’s parents told her, “and you can achieve anything.” But her faith and perseverance would be tested many times. A gifted athlete, she had to fight for a place on an all-white cheerleading squad in the sixties. In 1981, just as her coaching career was taking off, her fourteen-month-old daughter, Nina, was stricken with spinal meningitis. Nina would never walk or talk again. Still grieving, Stringer brought a small, poor, historically black college to the national championships—a triumph hailed as “Hoosiers with an all-female cast.” In 1991, her husband, Bill—her staunchest supporter, the father of her children, and the love of her life—fell dead of a sudden heart attack, but that same year, she led yet another young team to the Final Four. Through these dark times and others—including her bout with cancer, shared here for the first time—Stringer has carried her burdens with grace. Given her history, it was no surprise that she led her team to respond to Don Imus’s slurs with dignity and courage. Standing Tallis a story of quiet strength in the face of punishing odds. Above all, it is an extraordinary love story—love for the game, for the players she has coached, for her close-knit family, and for the husband she lost far too soon. It will resonate long after the last page.

Standing Tall

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#hardcover #nonfiction #juvenile #ya #motivational #inspiration #sports #basketball

52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life

A companion to the Newbery Medal-winning middle grade novel The Crossover, the basis of the show streaming on Disney+!

What can we imagine for our lives? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own rules of the game to help us get what we want, what we aspire to, what will enrich our lives?

Illustrated with photographs by Thai Neave, The Playbook is intended to provide inspiration on the court of life. Each rule contains wisdom from inspiring athletes and role models such as Nelson Mandela, Serena Williams, LeBron James, Carli Lloyd, Steph Curry, and Michelle Obama. Kwame Alexander also shares his own stories of overcoming obstacles and winning games in this motivational and inspirational book for readers of any age and for anyone needing a little bit of encouragement.

You gotta know the rules to play the game. Ball is life. Take it to the hoop. Soar.

The Playbook

acb1eac7-e760-4cbd-bc07-fd0947facf84-1

#hardcover #michaeljordan #movie #looneytunes #vintage #1996 #basketball #bugsbunny #lolabunny #daffyduck #sylvestercat #tweetybird  

Washington

Tune Squad Vs Monstars

Space Jam

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Kentucky

Patty Mills has always been good at sports, so when he tries out for basketball, he expects it to be easy. When it's not, he realizes he's got a lot to learn, on and off the court. But will he and his school team be good enough to make the finals?

Patty Hits the Court

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#nonfiction #hardcover #autobiography #biography #basketball #nba #china #olympics

New Jersey

A Life in Two Worlds

#hardcover #fiction #basketball #nba #sports #dorisburke 

Pennsylvania

Ruth Devon starred for Georgetown Basketball back in college--until she injured her knee, married her coach, and found a new career calling games on the radio. Twenty years later, Ruth and her now-ex-husband, Lester, are two of the most famous faces in sports media. When Lester decides to retire from the announcers' booth, Ruth goes after his job. If she gets it, she will be the first woman to call NBA games on national television. For now, Ruth is reporting from the sideline of the NBA finals, immersed in the high-pressure spectacle of the post-season. But in a deserted locker room at halftime, Ruth makes a discovery that shatters her vision of her future. Instantly, she is torn between the two things she has always wanted most: the game and motherhood. With warmth and incisive observation, Adrian brings to life the obsessions, emotions, and drama of fandom. The Second Season asks why, how, and whom we watch, while offering a rich and complicated account of motherhood, marriage, and ambition. Adrian's character study of Ruth Devon illuminates a beautiful basketball mind--and the struggle of a woman who claims authority in a male-dominated world.

The Second Season

5edb987a-3ad6-4e40-9004-623431a03952-1

#hardcover #nonfiction #sports #basketball #alleniverson

Florida

The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson

Former NBA superstar Allen Iverson was once one of America’s most famous athletes: a trendsetter who transcended race, celebrity, and pop culture, and emerged from a troubled past to become one of the most successful and highly compensated athletes in the world. Now, his life and career comes vividly to light in this hard-hitting biography that examines what drove his successes and failures. Through extensive research and interviews with those closest to Iverson, acclaimed Washington Post sportswriter Kent Babb gets behind the familiar, sanitized, and heroic version of Iverson—the hard-charging, hard-partying athlete who played every game as if it were his last. Babb brings to life a private, loyal, and often generous Allen Iverson who rarely made the headlines, revealing the back story behind some of Iverson’s most memorable moments, such as his infamous “Practice” rant, delving even deeper to discover where Iverson’s demons lurked. He drank too much, stayed out too late, spent more money than most people could spend in a dozen lifetimes—blowing more than $150 million of his NBA earnings alone. His then wife Tawanna, seen often as the mild-mannered woman who tamed the bad boy, tried to keep her husband and family on the rails. But she was no match, as so many others learned on basketball courts, for the force of nature that Iverson was—jealousy, meanness, and a restlessness eventually wearing down even his biggest fan, teammate, and, eventually, his most formidable opponent. Over time, Iverson himself had come to believe his own hype: that he lived in a world where celebrity is eternal and riches are everlasting. He was about that life even when he was no longer the fastest man on the court, as endorsement deals and long-term contracts became a thing of the past. Some in his inner circle saw the writing on the wall and encouraged Iverson to embrace life beyond basketball. But instead, he remained in denial. Not a Game is an impeccably researched, sometimes uncomfortable look at the factors that led to the rise and fall of a basketball superstar. In doing so, it illuminates the dark side of our modern day, multi-billion dollar sports and entertainment culture in which talented players are disposable and all too often success and tragedy wear the same number.

Not a Game

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#hardcover #middlegrade #diversity #challenges #dream #NBA #basketball #ya #HoopGroup

Michigan

Kids have big dreams. And when those dreams are on the line, how far are they willing to go to achieve them?

When Jayden and his teammates find out there's not going to be a Hoop Group this year--and maybe ever again--they have to learn to lean on each other if they want to save their basketball season, in this inspiring new middle grade novel from NBA superstar LeBron James and acclaimed author Andrea Williams. A New York Times bestseller!

Jayden Carr has been training all summer to be ready for Hoop Group--the free afterschool basketball program where his hero, NBA superstar Kendrick King, got his start. But when his beloved coach tells him there's not going to be a Hoop Group this year, Jayden is heartbroken.

And he's not the only one. Coach Beck's daughter, Tamika, was planning to be the first girl ever to start for the squad. Chris King, Kendrick's only nephew, spent the summer bragging that his uncle was coming home just to watch him play. For Anthony Pierson, Hoop Group was supposed to be his way out of trouble. And for Dexter Donyel, all 4'6" of him, Hoop Group was his chance to finally be part of a team, instead of just watching from the stands.

For each kid, Hoop Group was more than just a chance to ball; it was an escape, a dream, a family. Now their prospects seem all but impossible--but then the world hasn't met Jayden, Tamika, Chris, Anthony, and Dex before. Determined to have their shot, the five new friends scrap, hustle, fight, and play hard to save their season to prove that sometimes a chance is all it takes.  

It's an inspiring, original middle grade story from NBA superstar LeBron James and acclaimed author Andrea Williams that channels the many relatable challenges so many young kids face.

The first step to winning is getting out on the court.

We Are Family

30a8c448-1cbd-43a1-8606-1920d3d2399f-1

#fiction #juvenilefiction #ya #youngadult #hardcover #mystery #suspense #sports #basketball Ex-library book, owner’s nameplate inside cover; excellent condition.

Sensing danger when his pretty, new English teacher misses school for several days after arguing with a strange man, fourteen-year-old Bobby witnesses changes within his post-World War II community and struggles with changing feelings about a girl and a lack of leadership on his basketball team.

Edenville Owls

5fd910c4-b321-4abf-8b80-4925e7278250-1

#paperback #doubletalk #teralynmitchell #love #basketball #fiction #contemporary

New York

Doubletalk

#sports #nonfiction #hardcover #recreation #basketball #Dreamteam the cover has some wear doesn't impact the reading of the book 

How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever

Documents the story of the Olympic squad that won the gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games, assessing the achievements and legacy of some of the NBA's greatest players, including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Charles Barkley.

Dream Team

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#hardcover #michaeljordan #basketball 🏀 📚 

The Long Strange Ride of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls

Not since The Jordan Rules has a book captured such a poignant inside look at the most intriguing team in pro basketball history. Blood on the Horns by veteran sportswriter Roland Lazenby details the infighting and conflict between Jordan, coach Phil Jackson, teammate Scottie Pippen, general manager Jerry Krause and managing partner Jerry Reinsdorf. Through the use of exclusive on-the-record interviews with a variety of Bulls players and staff members, Lazenby recreates the drama over 1997 and 1998 as the Bulls struggled to remain cohesive. This book captures the harsh, dark side of Jordan's competitive nature.

The book will at last explain to the millions of Bulls fans why the team's management and ownership seemed so eager for Jackson, Jordan and company to move on, despite their overwhelming success.

Blood on the Horns

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#hardcover #africanamerican #basketball #kwamealexander #newberry #ya #corettascottkingaward #crossover #blackauthor #blackya

North Carolina

A middle-grade novel in verse follows the experiences of twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan, who struggle with challenges on and off the court while their father ignores his declining health. 20,000 first printing.

The Crossover

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#fiction #fantasyfiction #fantasy #youngadult #hardcover #kobebryant #basketball #sports #ya #youngadultfiction 

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

The Wizenard series

Training Camp

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#hardcover #fiction #ya #youngadult #comingofage #basketball

When Sam's best friend Reagan dies after her heart suddenly gives out, Sam must learn to deal with her grief and ultimately discover who she is without her best friend by her side. Fourteen-year-old Sam thinks she has all summer to hang out with her best friend, Reagan. But then her life changes forever. Sam's world, once filled with school, basketball, and Reagan, has now abruptly changed and she must learn to navigate high school on and off the court without her best friend. But when Reagan suddenly "reappears," Sam clings to her friend's presence, even as it hurts rather than helps her grief. Can Sam learn to accept herself without her other half? This authentic, powerful story of friendship, grief, and discovering yourself is a can't-miss debut novel from Maura Ellen Stokes.

Fadeaway

becf6098-05b1-4fca-b980-97a201a8763a-1

My Sister Mike

Connecticut

Superstar Shaquille O’Neal launches a fun, family-friendly early chapter book series that will be a slam dunk for readers everywhere!

Little Shaq

0bb16b52-90e4-4f31-906a-ff667915eb59-1

MG graphic novel focused on a main character who loves basketball but only plays in the fifth quarter where the game doesn’t count. You watch her grow both on the court and at home. Nice family subplot. Highly recommend to all ages of readers, especially those who played the sport in their youth. #graphicnovels #middlegrade #basketball #underdog

Lori Block and her best friend Sophia are dedicated to their Fourth-Grade basketball team, despite being relegated to “the 5th quarter,” an extra period before the “real” game starts, where the not-so-good kids play, and the points don’t count. That doesn’t matter to Lori though, because Basketball is a place where working hard and getting better gives her hints of self-confidence. At school, she is awkward and unsure, and at home Lori’s parents are consumed by her mother’s bid for local government. With athletic promise and a dogged determination to keep improving, Lori pursues her passion while navigating awkward social dynamics, her own expectations and her first overnight away from home. Can she find her confidence in school, at home, and on the court?

The Fifth Quarter

4d42671a-30d1-4819-84e8-7ce99895682f-1

#fiction #paperback #juvenilefiction #youngadult #ya #sports #basketball

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

What would you give to be your school's superstar? After reading Dr. Faustus, Joe considers the merits of selling his soul to the devil. Suddenly, he finds himself changing from a lousy basketball player and a C student to the star athlete he always dreamed he could be. Even though he isn't sure if he actually made a deal with the devil, he can't help but enjoy the benefits that come with his newfound abilities. But is achieving his dreams worth what he may have given up? In this coming of age sports novel, Joe learns the power of belief and that the only goals worth attaining are the ones that you earn -- on your own.

On the Devil's Court

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#paperback #childrens #readaloud #lebron #basketball #promise #growthmindset #sel #goals #lifelessons

Paul Volponi

The Final Four

John Coy

Box Out

Andrew Maraniss

Games of Deception

Ben Golliver

Bubbleball

C. Vivian Stringer; Laura Tucker

Standing Tall

Kwame Alexander

The Playbook

Nancy E Krulik

Space Jam

Jared Thomas; Patty Mills; Nahum Ziersch (Illustrator)

Patty Hits the Court

Yao Ming, Ric Bucher

Yao

Emily Adrian

The Second Season

Kent Babb

Not a Game

LeBron James; Andrea Williams

We Are Family

Robert B. Parker

Edenville Owls

Teralyn Mitchell

Doubletalk

Jack McCallum

Dream Team

Roland Lazenby

Blood on the Horns

Kwame Alexander

The Crossover

Wesley King, Kobe Bryant

Training Camp

Maura Ellen Stokes

Fadeaway

Amelia Elizabeth Walden

My Sister Mike

Shaquille O'Neal; Theodore Taylor (Illustrator)

Little Shaq

Michael Dawson

The Fifth Quarter

Carl Deuker

On the Devil's Court

LeBron James

I Promise